"Meditation – 60 Days of Prayer" from The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Tuesday, 25 October 2016 "WEEK 6: GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT"
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25
WEEK 6: GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT
Read Galatians 5:25Galatians 5:25 Since it is through the Spirit that we have Life, let it also be through the Spirit that we order our lives day by day.
-------
A Reading from God Unbound:Contemplative leaders show up to self, others, and God. They pay attention to what is going on within themselves as well as within and beyond their congregations. These leaders notice what God is doing in their own lives and outwardly in the congregation, as well as in the community beyond the walls of the church.
They are conscious of their own resistance to God’s invitation, and they work through it. This gives them discernment and spiritual authority to recognize and speak to congregational resistance to the Spirit. The contemplative leader lives and acts out of this deep attentiveness, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and releasing the outcome of that obedience to God.
Contemplative leaders exhibit profound courage and inner freedom. They are present, compassionate, discerning, wise, and resilient. They love well.
All of this is to say: If we as leaders are now positioned to lead the church through systems change, we have to work on our own unfinished business. We cannot assume we have already taken care of it. Our inner work is never finished. This work requires that we be persons of listening prayer. We need a support network to help us stay right side up because the anxiety of systems change will bring all our unresolved issues and unhealed wounds to the surface. A spiritual director, possibly a therapist, and a small number of trusted friends are essential.
Prayer: Lord, in You there is not anxiety – let there be none in us. We are open to your invitation to love and bless others, and to live in Your Spirit in courage and freedom. May we be persons of listening prayer. Amen.
Our mailing address is:
The Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
-------
A Reading from God Unbound:Contemplative leaders show up to self, others, and God. They pay attention to what is going on within themselves as well as within and beyond their congregations. These leaders notice what God is doing in their own lives and outwardly in the congregation, as well as in the community beyond the walls of the church.
They are conscious of their own resistance to God’s invitation, and they work through it. This gives them discernment and spiritual authority to recognize and speak to congregational resistance to the Spirit. The contemplative leader lives and acts out of this deep attentiveness, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and releasing the outcome of that obedience to God.
Contemplative leaders exhibit profound courage and inner freedom. They are present, compassionate, discerning, wise, and resilient. They love well.
All of this is to say: If we as leaders are now positioned to lead the church through systems change, we have to work on our own unfinished business. We cannot assume we have already taken care of it. Our inner work is never finished. This work requires that we be persons of listening prayer. We need a support network to help us stay right side up because the anxiety of systems change will bring all our unresolved issues and unhealed wounds to the surface. A spiritual director, possibly a therapist, and a small number of trusted friends are essential.
Prayer: Lord, in You there is not anxiety – let there be none in us. We are open to your invitation to love and bless others, and to live in Your Spirit in courage and freedom. May we be persons of listening prayer. Amen.
- Post your prayer for the church to the Prayer Wall.
- God Unbound: Wisdom from Galatians for the Anxious Church. Copyright 2016 by Elaine Heath. All rights reserved. Used with permission from Upper Room Books. From pages 82-83
Our mailing address is:
The Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment